New Yorkers give Kathy Hochul low marks on meeting policy goals in 2022: poll

A majority of registered New York voters say Gov. Kathy Hochul has failed to restore faith in state government — while falling short over the past year on handling challenges like rising crime and skyrocketing rents, according to a Siena College poll released Tuesday morning.

The governor has her “work cut out for her” following a closer-than-expected campaign against Republican Lee Zeldin, who campaigned heavily on his opposition to criminal justice reforms amid rising crime, said Siena College pollster Steve Greenberg.

“Today, when asked whether the Hochul Administration did or did not make progress on these goals, voters give a resounding ‘no,’” said Greenberg.

Some 58% of respondents in the poll of 816 registered voters said the newly-elected Democrat “did not” make communities safer from crime over the past year.

Just 22% say she did, while another 11% had mixed feelings about her performance on public safety.

Dealing with “crime” ought to be the top priority for Hochul next year, according to a 36% plurality of registered voters, while 31% said the “cost of living” deserves top billing followed by “affordable housing” with 12% support.

The Buffalo native also did not make New York “a place where people want to live, not leave” amid an ongoing exodus of upstate residents to places like Florida, according to 55% of respondents.

Fifty-one percent of voters polled said Hochul has not enhanced trust in state government, while 29% says she did alongside and 11% who remained conflicted just over one year after she replaced disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid a multitude of scandals.

Just 38% of voters say the Empire State is heading in the right direction in the first major poll to be released following statewide elections while exactly half of respondents said things are heading in the “wrong direction.”

Hochul scored a record-high unfavorability rating of 43% compared to 41% in October ahead of the Nov. 8 election against Zeldin, who landed a personal best favorable rating of 46% compared to 37% weeks ago.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams scored both a personal best, and worst, in the poll with 32% of respondents having a favorable impression of him compared to 33% who have an unfavorable impression alongside 36% who expressed no preference.

But Hochul’s favorable rating dropped two points from a personal best of 47% to 45% in December following the bruising campaign where Zeldin came closer to winning the gubernatorial election than any Republican in two decades.

Her electoral victory last month does not mean the hard work is over for the first woman elected governor in state history, as a new legislative session approaches in January alongside state budget negotiations.

“Certainly, political friends and foes alike will be watching to see if Hochul tries to reset in her upcoming inaugural address and State of the State and budget messages, Greenberg said.

“They’ll also be watching her actions and words in the weeks and months ahead, and whether it impacts her standing with voters.”

The poll had a margin of error of 4.1%.